The CEO's Secret✔️

11: The Thanksgiving Visit

       

November 2009

C H A P T E R   E L E V E N:

T H E    T H A N K S G I V I N G    V I S I T

"Where the hell is he?" Katie was trying her best to look in any other direction than at Mr. Anderson right then as he muttered under his breath. She pretended she could not hear the older man's quiet mumbles of exasperation that had started as soon as he came into the board room and realised his son had not turned up yet.

Katie could clearly see the anger building behind Mr. Anderson's melting composure, it made her feel nervous- not for herself, but for Colin because she knew what was coming next.

"I apologise Mr. Jefferson, but I need a minute to call my son and find his whereabouts." Jeffrey Anderson forced a friendly smile onto his face although he felt like he was way past boiling point at that time.

"Oh, take your time Jeffrey. I'm sure he's stuck in traffic... Again." Henry Jefferson said the last part more so to himself than anyone else in the room.

Just as Jeffrey stood up from his place at the table surrounded by his and Henry's associates, Colin burst through the door- untidy hair and a heavily breathing mess. He was under the scorching stare of his father, who he would have to deal with as soon as this meeting was over but Colin did not want to think about that right then.

The younger man kept his head down low as he apologised for his tardiness and sat down. Katie noticed how tired and drained Colin appeared to be. She wondered what had happened to make him that late, and cursed herself for even feeling sorry for him. This was what he done- constantly- she needed to try and whip him into shape like Carrie did when she was around all the time.

"Where's your copy of the report Colin?" Jeffrey nudged his son who was then sitting beside him. He knew straight away that Colin did not have a clue what he was talking about and it only irritated him further. He gave his son so many chances to step up and be an adult, but it seemed like it was doing him no good at all. Colin would never be grateful enough for the things his father had handed him so easily in life.

"The report? Um, I-"

"I have it right here Sir." Katie butt in before Colin could finish his sentence. "My apologies, but I was supposed to give it to Colin yesterday before I left work." She lied, smiling at the two men apologetically before she handed Colin the report he was supposed to have looked over so many times before this morning.

Katie held in a giggle once she examined Colin's quirked up eyebrow as he looked through the report, clearly never seeing the contents of the pages before in his life. She knew this meeting was not a joke and Colin's terrible effort at being in anyway dedicated to his job was no laughing matter- at least not in front of all these men and women who clearly cared about their job and took it very seriously.

The meeting was excruciating, Katie kept getting distracted by the clear tension between father and son while taking the minutes of the meeting. She couldn't help but feel sorry for Colin as the meeting drew to a close, because she knew what was coming next and it wasn't going to be pretty.

Katie went straight to her office as soon as everyone left, she did not want to be in the way of the two men once Jeffrey started his lecture with Colin. She only ever half heard the stern speeches Mr. Anderson would give Colin and although they seemed to be every time he turned up at the office, they were usually in private so that no one could hear. Katie wondered how Colin did not just change, even she was tired of hearing Jeffrey's complaints by then and that surely meant Colin was too. But it seemed like he would never learn.